Archive - Dec 15, 2009

• Senator Lieberman wields influence on health care debate
• Bill to expand community radio moves through Congress
• Immigration reform introduced in Congress
• Courts decide Guantanamo detainees are not "persons" under US law
• High level climate negotiations up against the clock
• Danish police crack down on Copenhagen demonstrators

• Rep. Grayson just says NO to more war appropriation
• Suicide bomb blast in central Kabul
• DC City Council approves gay marriage
• Canadian court strikes down security certificate for Syrian held 8 years
• Innocent man freed from prison after 28 years
• NYPD must disclose 2004 RNC surveillance documents
• Mayon Volcano forces tens of thousands to evacuate in the Philippines

Congressional Democrats were summoned to the White House as health care reform continues to hit roadblocks. The current obstacle is Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman, who has voiced opposition in each stage of the bill shaping process. Meanwhile, his Democratic colleagues are visibly frustrated by Lieberman's influence on the health care debate. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports on the latest developments, as well as crucial amendments the Senate is expected to vote on soon, including single payer.

Tired of listening to the same old voices and songs on the radio? A bill moving through Congress would give a big boost to media diversity through low-power FM community stations. Congressional sponsors and community radio activists say the measure will give more people greater access to the airwaves. Tanya Snyder reports.

Also on Capitol Hill today, Illinois representative Luis Gutierrez introduced a long-awaited immigration reform bill. Immigrant and workers rights groups are applauding what they call the "first step" in fixing the country's "broken" immigration system.
According to an analysis from the Immigration Policy Center, the bill would create a legalization program for qualified undocumented immigrants, their spouses and children. It would also put in place policies to help keep families together, including giving immigration judges greater discretion when reviewing deportation cases. The bill would also require humane treatment of detainees, including adequate medical treatment and increased protections from sexual abuse. Gutierrez's bill, which has 87 co-sponsors, also includes the DREAM Act, a provision that would create a path to citizenship for youth who were brought to the US at a young age.
Gutierrez says the bill is the product of months of collaboration with civil rights advocates, labor organizations, and members of Congress. Advocates hope the bill is considered during 2010, but it is a politically difficult issue for an election year.

As reported yesterday, The US Supreme Court has refused to consider a case brought by 4 former Guantantamo Bay detainees against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other senior military officials for allegedly ordering torture and religious abuse. The plaintiffs are British nationals and include 3 men whose detainee experiences were portrayed in the award-winning docudrama, The Road to Guantanamo.
In it's refusal to hear the case, the Supreme Court let stand a DC Circuit Court opinion that Guantanamo detainees do not qualify as "persons" under US law. Shannon Young spoke with Shayana Kadidal from the Center for Constitutional Rights about the legal implications of the case.

We now turn to the climate talks in Copenhagen, where progress appears to be stalled. A new draft text released today lacks any figures on emissions targets and does not even suggest a date by which to reduce global emissions. Foreign ministers and heads of state have already arrived for high-level negotiations, which are mostly being held behind closed doors. Little has emerged in the way of a consensus. Meanwhile, activists working on the fringes of the talks are applying pressure of their own. Brian Edwards-Tiekert is there.